Changes at Generation Rent

Since its launch, Generation Rent has achieved a series of improvements to the lives of renters, including:

Outlawing of revenge evictions

Making landlords pay their fair share of tax

Stronger regulation of landlords and letting agents

A proposed ban on letting fees

The growing renter population finally has a voice, but it needs to be much stronger.

As we head into the new year Generation Rent is facing a funding shortfall. We’ve cut back staffing levels and our director, Betsy Dillner has decided to step down with immediate effect.

Dan Wilson Craw will take on the role of Interim Director, while Seb Klier will continue to lead Generation Rent’s campaign in London, which is a separate grant-funded project. Betsy will continue to support the campaign in a voluntary capacity.

Dan joined Generation Rent in March 2014 as communications manager and added policy to his role in September 2015. This year his work included the Vote Homes campaign in the run-up to the London Mayoral Election, the viral #ventyourrent social media campaign, and the successful campaign to ban letting fees.

In addition to giving renters a voice in the media and public policy, Generation Rent’s priority is now to bring on new board members with specific skills we currently lack, continue to build its volunteer and activist network and broaden its funding base.

To that end, it is launching an appeal for donations from its supporters, and applications from potential trustees. Generation Rent can announce that Shiv Malik, former Guardian journalist and co-author of Jilted Generation, has joined the board as the first of what are expected to be several high profile appointments.

To give renters the best possible voice for 2017, we need our supporters to do one of the following things: